Birchbank

Birchbank is the perfect hideaway if you're exploring the north of the Cairngorms, all the major peaks are only a short drive away, yet you get the peace and quiet you would expect in the Highlands (sometimes with some inquisitive cows for company in the evening, and red squirrels in the mornings).

Our third visit to Birchbank which speaks for itself.

Very comfortable house with lots of wildlife coming to the garden and adjacant field. Handy access to the Speyside Way from the house and a 5 minute drive to Grantown for most amenities Walter & Maureen March 2026

We had a very good week at birchbank everything you need is catered for the locations is very peaceful and central enough for good site seeing

Birchbank Cottage is a cottage for nature lovers.

It is in the country but close to a village and town. The cottage is lovely and cosy with nice country views. It had everything we needed and was well equipped. The welcome pack and flowers awaiting us were very much appreciated. The owners are very friendly - a lovely family. They all did their utmost to help when the recent storm caused a power cut and they were already equipped for this. The area surrounding is beautiful with plenty of walks. The nature surrounding the cottage included deer in the field every day, and pheasants, pied woodpeckers, squirrels, blue tits and coal tits who benefitted from the many different kinds of bird feeders - such a joy to watch. Many thanks for a wonderful stay. We hope to return next year.

Fabulous, spacious holiday homes.

Everything was perfect. Absolutely spotless and the most comfortable bed we’ve had in a rented cottage. . Everything needed to cook a meal in the large kitchen. Welcome basket and fresh flowers was a lovely treat on arrival. Garden was amazing. We saw a variety of birds, woodpeckers, red squirrels, hares and deer to name a few. We loved our visits from the cows every day. WiFi wasn’t always great - but that’s the location and was nice to detox from it. Great location for easy access to surrounding areas. We have stayed at a lot of Sykes (and competitor) holiday cottages and this was definitely one of the all round best.

Our second stay at Birchbank with a new bathroom and shower room making it even more comfortable.

Great location, great facilities, can't fault it. We had an amazing weather too which always helps.

Birchbank was wonderful.

The location, the size. Everything worked. We had a super time.

Lovely cottage in beautiful surroundings.

Clean and tidy with everything you could need . Malcolm and Sammie the hosts were very friendly and a pleasure to meet . One of the nicest places we have stayed , would highly recommended.

From the moment we arrived we felt right at home in this cozy little cottage.

Wonderful living room with big, comfortable sofas, and equally comfortable mattresses in the bedrooms. The kitchen / dining area is spacious and had every appliance and utensil we could possibly need for preparing our meals. The laundry area and bathrooms were also to our liking (we especially loved having a second full bath). The location - nestled between Grantown-on-Spey and Nethy Bridge - could not have been more ideal. Peaceful, with picturesque scenery in every direction, but conveniently close to restaurants and shops. There’s nearby access to the magnificent Speyside Way, as well as many other hiking routes and fun local attractions (we enjoyed meeting Murdo the cow snd Buster the sheep at nearby Castle Roy). Our hosts were there to greet us when we arrived and left us fresh cut flowers and treats in the kitchen. They were great with communication and made us feel very welcome. We would happily stay here again, any time.

Birchbank is a first class property, in a great location, which is clean, comfortable, well equipped and well maintained.

Flowers and a small welcome basket on arrival were a nice touch. Malcolm and Sammie, the owners, were helpful in their assistance. Highly commended!

EXCELLENT, superb bungalow, in amazing surroundings, complete with everything you need, plenty of wildlife in the garden

Very lovely and comfortable cottage in beautiful, peaceful grounds, surrounded by woodland and not overlooked by any other properties.

Lots of wildlife can be viewed directly from the cottage and scenic walks with marked trails are possible from pretty Nethy Bridge village, just 5 minutes drive away. The cottage had everything we needed, was spotlessly clean and just made us feel relaxed from the moment we arrived. The owners Malcolm and Sammie were in contact to ensure we had a comfortable stay and were available to assist if we needed them.

Excellent location.

Property was clean, comfortable to stay in and we liked the fact that you could do some walks from the property itself. The owners were very friendly and offered help if needed. Would definitely recommend.

Excellent.

We had a great time in this exceptional property.

Very comfortable, well equipped and clean. We will happily stay here again.

Such a wonderful holiday house in a brilliant location.

There is lots of nature to be seen including a pine marten in the garden and plenty of birds on the bird feeding station. We also caught the northern lights on camera from the garden. The house is fully equipped and immaculately clean. We were very happy with the space for a family with two children and were kept busy with the days out and sight seeing locally. Also we were very happy with the communication from the owners - thank you!

The holiday cottage is beautiful, comfortable and well equipped.

We really enjoyed our stay. The location is fabulous and close to so many fabulous walks. Stunning scenery and wildlife. We will most certainly love to come back and stay at Birchbank.

A great cottage that was very comfortable and clean.

Set in beautiful surroundings, we will definitely consider coming again.

Fantastic cottage with plenty of space for all 6 adults - we had everything we needed and Sammie was really helpful giving us ideas of where to visit.

Great base for exploring, we had a brilliant holiday- thank you Malcolm and Sammie.

Really enjoyed staying here.

Cottage comfortable and well equipped. Very good location for walking along the river, in forests and up into the mountains. Close to Grantown and Boat of Garten for restaurants and supplies.

Excellent location .

Great property, lovely location, very clean & warm, everything we needed to self cater.

The only thing that could be improved is the Wifi, though we had a good phone signal so we tethered off our mobiles.

Another wonderful stay, the new double bedroom & the new soft furnishings in the bedrooms are to a high standard as are the new Bathrooms, this enhances what is already a perfect cottage.

We have already booked for next year we usually stay in the Autumn but coming in the summer for the first time, so we are looking forward to what Scotland has to offer in a different season. Birchbank is the best accommodation that we stay in, keep up the excellent work Sammie & Malcolm. Everything is spotlessly clean

We have been staying at this property for many years twice a year.

The owners are fantastic people who will do everything possible to make your stay memorable. The cottage is in tip top condition and has everything you would want for a great stay. It is constantly being upgraded so there is nothing that looks shabby. It is situated centrally for touring the area and there is plenty to see and do

Great location, will return.

Thanks

Birchbank is in the perfect spot.

It’s very clean, comfortable & ideal for a peaceful holiday. Wonderful to wake up each morning to a host of wildlife, including Roe Deer, Hare, Red Squirrels, Woodpeckers & much more in the garden. Would definitely recommend, Malcolm & Sammie are great – thanks for the superb break

excellent property , well equipped , secluded yet close to local amenities

Excellent cottage everything is spotlessly clean .

very warm & comfortable , it's positioned in an idyllic area quiet & peaceful . Thoroughly recommend we have already booked for next year which would make it our 4th visit.

The only thing I would say was it wasn't very clear where to leave the recycling, but we bumped into the owner who was very obliging and helped us unload the car.

Brilliant stay. Really enjoyed it. Great value and location.

We enjoyed a fabulous week in this comfortable, spacious, well-equipped cottage.

The location is perfect for a relaxing break - a beautiful, peaceful setting with nearby Grantown on Spey within a pleasant 1hr walking distance or a 5min drive. The sizeable cottage grounds were frequently visited by woodpeckers, red-squirrel and pine marten during our stay. Owners were extremely friendly and helpful. Thanks for a wonderful holiday.

Cottage was great as usual.

...shame about the weather.

As always Birch Bank is a great place to holiday and was really clean inside, had no worries about covid inside this place, it's in a lovely area with loads of wildlife in the garden, people who own it are nice too

We had a fantastic week staying at Birchbank.

The cottage was spotless and very well equipped. We felt very welcome and happy with all the safety protocols that had been taken in light of Covid-19. The setting is exceptional. There is a huge amount of outdoor space and so much wildlife to enjoy. A real treat to see red squirrel, deer, pheasants and woodpeckers. There is plenty to do in the surrounding area too. We would happily return.

We had a fantastic break here over Christmas.

2 Adults and 2 kids - with almost (snow) everything we could have wished for! Lovely house in a great location - every home comfort you could ask for. Great location, which meant minimal use of the car - added bonus! Only down side was one of the kids crying as he didn’t want to leave! Already been asked numerous times each day when we can go back! Looking forward to booking again - maybe get my tractor ride this time!

Excellent clean and comfortable accommodation.

In a lovely setting with plenty of wildlife lncluding 4 woodpeckers,red squirrel, roe deer all seen from the property. Lots of good walks in the area.

Birchbank far exceeded our expectations.

Nestled in a beautiful area of the Cairngorms surrounded by nature and wildlife we were warm and cosy during our November stay. Malcolm and Sammy could not have been more helpful and friendly giving us tips on some great locations for wildlife and Landscape photography plus a plentiful supply of bird food to top up the feeders and watch from the house.

Birchbank was fabulous.

Its set in a great location and exceeded all our expectations. It was very clean and well laid out and had everything you could need for a relaxed homely stay. The scenery around is beautiful and we loved the local wildlife including deers red squirrels and the great selection of birds.We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend it to all our friends and family.

Well equipped,comfortable,everything you need and very welcoming.

The pictures do not do justice to this lovely cottage it is a real home from home .

Great cottage set in beautiful surroundings.

Wildlife on your doorstep and very friendly owners. Would recommend it to anyone

Cottage was superb.

Deer in the gardens superb walks from the cottage. Sammie and Malcolm made us very welcome.

House was much better than advertised, easy to find, simple to pickup keys etc, very good location, overall an excellent Christmas

An Excellent place to stay, clearly a lot of attention & thought has gone into providing a superb home from home cottage/ bungalow.

This is an excellent base from which to explore Scotland, we found everything was spotlessly clean & well maintained a credit to Sammie & Malcolm.

The house was great and the landscape amazing.

We had many walks and sightseeing in the area.

Really nice owners - little hiccup dealt with very speedily.

Beautiful area and perfect holiday

I and my partner work very hard all year round and look forward to a good break birch bank is ideal we do a bit of walking and I'm a keen fly Fisher and the river spey is five minuts away which is rated one of the best in the world .

grantown on spey seven minutes away with its good shops pubs reterounts and the people are very helpful and friendly.

Very nice cottage and convenient, quiet location.

Everything needed is available, and all very clean. Had a few problems initially contacting the owners for key collection arrangements, but soon resolved. Only issues related to a) being unable to get a signal for the Sky box, and b) the DVD player malfunctions and probably needs replacing.

Birchbank is an excellent property that exceeded the description of it online.

Very very clean, modern and cosy. Owners very welcoming without being intrusive. It was a pleasure to meet them and feel lucky to have found such a home from home, in such a beautiful location. The only reason I said Sykes only met my expectations is because I did everything online, so had no direct contact with yourselves.